TUMMY TUCK (Abdominoplasty)

RECONSTRUCTION is defined as – to RESTORE to a state (or create a state) that is normal for that person’s age, race, and gender (identity).

Exploring this further, and excluding those rare individuals with body dysmorphic disorder, normal is in the eye of the beholder. Just because a certain body issue (whatever that may be) is a common problem, does not equate to it being normal.

Tummy Tuck, also known as Abdominoplasty, is the perfect example of a reconstructive procedure. It is an operation designed to restore the abdominal wall to a state that is normal.

It is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures. The reasons why people would seek an abdominoplasty typically relate to prior significant weight changes such as weight loss or severe weight fluctuations often experienced with pregnancy.

There are three layers to the abdominal wall that need to be reconstructed in an abdominoplasty; the skin, the fatty tissue and the underlying muscle. Whether it’s due to pregnancy, or the effects of massive weight changes, the issues are similar. All of these layers are stretched, weakened or increased in size, resulting in permanent damage. So, the surgery involves correcting each of these layers in a customised manner to achieve the best possible results. Of course, as with is with every surgery, individuals may be concerned about the appearance of a scar. The scar for a tummy tuck is typically hidden low on your belly and can be concealed with normal underwear. The thinking around having a scar after your tummy tuck is simple. Before a tummy tuck surgery has been done, many individuals have stretch marks and associated excess skin along their lower abdomen in an area they cannot hide, which can be considered as pre-existing scars. In a tummy tuck surgery all, or most of these are going to be removed with one very controlled, linear scar that can be comfortably hidden by regular underwear. With pregnancy, these changes are mostly confined to the front of your belly. However, for those who have undergone massive weight loss, the skin excess often involves the entire body, front, sides and back, and often other areas such as the chest, arms and thighs. In this case, the surgery is a little more involved and customised for each individual to address their specific concerns.

About Dr Eddy Dona

Specialist Plastic Surgeon (since 2007)

Med Registration #: MED0001177175

Specialist Plastic Surgeon Dr Eddy Dona is highly experienced in performing Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) surgery, which is a very common Reconstructive procedure for individuals who have lost weight and those whom have undergone weight loss.

Eddy has always had a love and appreciation for art, and this passion and admiration has followed into his medical career. Growing up Eddy considered two possible career pathways: one being an artist, the other, a doctor. Throughout his school career, his love of art was reflected in his studies where he partook in three-unit art topic and was acknowledged for his talent with his major artworks topping the state and were displayed as part of the Annual Art Express Exhibition. However, a career in medicine beckoned, and after finishing his degree in medicine at the University of Sydney in 1996, he pursued a surgical career. Out of all the surgical specialities available, Dr Dona knew that his calling was in Plastic Surgery, which he believed to be the perfect fusion of art and surgery and would be able to express his passion and artistic flair. After a further 11 years of intense training, in 2007 Dr Dona became a fully qualified Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon.

Despite running a bustling private plastic surgery clinic, for the first 15 years of his specialist career, Dr Dona dedicated part of his time to working in some of Sydney’s busiest public hospitals, including providing emergency on-call services. It was here that Dr Dona often looked after all the non-cosmetic plastic surgery issues, such as hand and skin cancer surgery, including trauma and reconstructive microsurgery. He states, “Enhancing someone’s natural beauty is easy for the surgeon who is also capable of recreating the beauty that has been stolen.”

Over the years, as a specialist plastic surgeon, Dr Eddy Dona has been involved in the training of countless doctors and future cosmetic plastic surgeons. Dr Dona believes it is vital to pass on your hard-earned wisdom and knowledge to the future generation.

Although the teacher, Eddy happily takes on the role of the student. Ensuring he stays abreast of the most advanced techniques; Dr Eddy Dona regularly attends national and international conferences in Plastic Surgery. A comprehensive understanding of human aesthetics, a true artistic flair and a commitment to nothing less than exceptional results, ensure Dr Dona’s patients are always in good hands.

It was on the 29th of June 2009, Dr Dona proudly opened his private plastic surgery clinic in the Sydney suburb of Bella Vista. During this time, Dr Dona describes his clinic as being his home and is the only place where people can go and have a formal consultation with him. Patients travel from all over Australia to visit Dr Dona to see him for treatment, and his clinic is where they come for that all-important first consultation and subsequent care.

 

Why do people get a Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)?

One of the most common reasons why someone would want an abdominoplasty is often due to changes during pregnancy. Some of these changes include loose or excess skin, excess fatty tissue, weakened or separated abdominal wall muscles, and, to a lesser degree umbilical hernias.

Why choose Specialist Reconstructive Plastic Dr Dona?

Dr Eddy Dona has largely subspecialised his practice in performing body contouring surgery such as Tummy Tucks, and the results achieved and demonstrated speak for themselves.

Following your surgery and discharge from hospital, you will then undergo specialised after care provided at the clinic by his highly trained staff. This ensures that no stone is left unturned to help you achieve the best possible outcome.
Dr Dona and his team at Bella Vista Plastic Surgery will always strive to do their very best to deliver you the highest standard of care. Ensuring you have a smooth, stress-free transformation journey, and treating each and every person as the Work of Art that they are, is what we love to do.

Stretch Marks and Abdominal Scar Removal

During pregnancy, the abdominal wall is forced to stretch quicker than the skin can naturally expand, often causing the skin to tear, leading to the development of stretch marks. Stretch marks are a form of scaring, and like all scars, they initially appear red and fade to a lighter, pale colour as they mature.
Many women develop these stretch marks during their first pregnancy, as this is often when their body undergoes the most significant changes. With that said, many women will put on a small amount of weight and still get stretch marks, whilst others put on an enormous amount of weight and do not get stretch marks. Many factors contribute to this, with one important factor being our genetic makeup, which often determines the likelihood of who will and won’t get stretch marks.
After pregnancy and or significant weight loss, your body shrinks down. You’ve lost weight, you’re healthy, you’re fit, but you look in the mirror, and you aren’t satisfied with how your body looks. The skin, especially skin with stretch marks, has lost its elasticity and is not going to contract to tighten up around your smaller body.
During your tummy tuck procedure, most of these stretch marks or any other scars from previous abdominal surgery will be completely removed, along with the excess skin around your stomach.

Abdominal Wall Muscle Tightening – Diastasis Recti Correction

Diastasis is the horizontal separation of the abdominal muscles. During pregnancy, the rectus muscles are pushed apart as the stomach expands. A very standard part of an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) procedure is tightening the abdominal muscles by pulling back the stretched apart muscles with stitches to hold them in place. Tightening the six-pack muscles also serves to help further flatten the stomach and tighten the waistline from a tummy tuck procedure. For some individuals muscle repair can also improve other issues such as lower back pain and/or urinary incontinence.

Hernia Repair

Abdominal hernias are extremely common and can be caused by anything that increases the pressure on the abdomen. Something as simple as lifting heavy objects without stabilising the abdominal muscles can cause an abdominal hernia. Unfortunately, extra-abdominal weight from pregnancy or having a large amount of fat around the abdomen significantly increase the risk of developing a hernia. These hernias can be quite uncomfortable and have the potential to cause debilitating pain.
The good news is that these abdominal wall hernias are simple to correct during a tummy tuck procedure; Dr Dona ensures that he corrects any hernias that he finds during surgery. You would be surprised by the number of small hernias that have needed to be corrected during surgery without being noticed beforehand.

Quite often, we are asked if it is better to get a hernia corrected before tummy tuck surgery. If you are considering having tummy tuck surgery and experience issues with abdominal wall hernias, it is important to leave the hernia so that it can be corrected during your tummy tuck surgery. This is because most general surgeons repair hernias in a way that can potentially impact the belly button’s survival from its repositioning during a tummy tuck. An added advantage of having your abdominal hernia repaired during your tummy tuck only requires downtime for one procedure instead of two.